Tom Cruise isn’t prepared to bury Digger just yet, despite the movie’s disappointing box office opening.
The star took to social media on Saturday morning to share behind-the-scenes photos from the film’s shoot and express his appreciation to the cast and crew. Centering on an egotistical oil tycoon who causes a natural disaster, director Alejandro G. Iñárritu‘s $125 million-budgeted satire is heading to around $8 million in a rough debut weekend for the ambitious project.
“Digger is officially in theaters and I am so honored to have had the opportunity to create this film alongside such talented artists,” Cruise posted. “Thank you to the entire cast and crew for your dedication, hard work and joy. The experience was truly unforgettable and I’m so proud of what we created.”
Warner Bros. released the movie Friday in 3,300 North American theaters, with the studio seeing the project as a big creative swing that it hopes to carry awards potential. Alas, its path appears quite challenging, given that Digger earned a C+ CinemaScore from audiences and holds a 51 percent approval from reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes. In his review for The Hollywood Reporter, chief film critic David Rooney dismissed the film as “dead and buried.” Riz Ahmed, John Goodman and Sandra Hüller round out the cast.
Digger sees a portly, balding Cruise taking a break from the action-loaded franchise features that his audience has come to expect, as the new movie harkens back to his earlier-career focus on filmmaker-forward projects like Rain Man, Born on the Fourth of July and Magnolia. The star won’t wait too long to get back to IP-driven action fare, as Days of Thunder 2 soon revs up production.
Amazon MGM Studios’ Anne Hathaway-led thriller Verity, which adapts the Colleen Hoover novel, will open atop the domestic box office chart with around $33 million. Digger is likely to mark the lowest opening weekend for Cruise since 2007’s war drama Lions for Lambs, which debuted with $6.7 million from a far smaller budget.
During an onstage conversation earlier in the week following a Los Angeles screening of Digger, Cruise discussed his pursuit of success throughout his career after having started in the business at a young age.
“My hope is always that the films would do well enough that I would have that opportunity to do it again,” the actor said of making movies. “People want to see real things. This career, we have to work to do it. It was never handed to any of us. I want you to know that.”
